Photographer Jeff Gritchen told the young boy, "Show me how you feel when you're happy."

Noah Larson, who turns 3 in August, lit up the room with a broad smile as Gritchen clicked away.

Nothing too momentous here. Just a photographer taking another photo of a cute, curly-haired toddler. Just another photo for the family scrapbook.

But it was momentous. The fact that Noah could hear what Gritchen was saying and respond to it was nothing short of a miracle for Noah and his parents, David Larson, a home inspector, and Dr. Michelle Zarzana, a chiropractor, who live in Bluff Heights.

Noah, their only child, was born deaf on Aug. 2, 2009.

They didn't know this at first. Their eventual discovery of Noah's hearing problem and what to do about it is a remarkable story of heartache, frustration and, finally, joy.

Gail Morrison, president of the Long Beach/Lakewood chapter of the Hearing Association of America, said one in 10 Americans has some form of hearing loss. "That's 36 million people who need information and support to cope with the mild to profound hearing loss in a world full of sound," she said.

David said Noah was born two weeks prematurely at Los Alamitos Hospital. "They gave him a hearing test which they said, at first, he failed, but then they said he passed. We left the hospital thinking he was fine," he said. "About five months later, Michelle started getting concerned and told me, `I don't think he can hear."' Michelle said Noah wasn't responding to any sounds like dogs barking or any other loud noise.

"Our pediatrician said not to worry, that babies don't always respond, that we should wait a few months for further testing," David said.

Michelle added: "The pediatrician said I was overly worried. I went home in tears. I knew something was wrong."

David and Michelle were so worried that they didn't want to wait any longer. They sought other medical opinions and finally found their way to the John Tracy Clinic at 740 E. Wardlow Road in Long Beach.

The Tracy Clinic provides parent-centered services to young children with hearing loss. The clinic specializes in testing children under 5.

"After testing, the Tracy Clinic said Noah was profoundly deaf in both ears," Michelle said. "About all he could hear would be airplane jet engines if they were next to his ears."

David said they started looking into schools for the deaf and even signed Noah up for one. But another therapist felt children with hearing loss should be mainstreamed and told them about a family with a 4-year-old boy who had been deaf but who had had cochlear implants.

"We met the boy and heard him respond and speak," David said. "We cried and said we wanted her help."

The first step before cochlear implant surgery was to give Noah hearing aids to see what benefit he would get from them.

"They helped a little but not much," David said. "We felt that what he needed were the cochlear implants. We had to push for these because children need to be a certain weight for implants."

Finally, a week before his first birthday, after three hours of surgery, Noah had his implants. "It was pretty incredible surgery. All went very well. Noah also got hearing aids," David said.

"At first, there was little response from Noah," he said. "There wasn't an `aha' moment immediately."

That moment came soon, however.

"We were up in Signal Hill and a van went by playing loud music. Noah snapped his fingers and did a little dance to the music. He heard the music! We were thrilled," Michelle said.

During this process, David and Michelle worked closely with Mary Steinwinter, a parent-infant teacher at the Tracy Clinic.

"She is just amazing," Michelle said. "She is working with us on Noah's speech therapy. Everyone at the Tracy Clinic is so helpful. They have just been wonderful."

Because of Noah's hearing issues, Michelle and David have gotten involved in fundraising activities for children with hearing loss.

Michelle said they have held spin-a-thons the last few years and have raised $79,000 for the Tracy Clinic. A spin-a-thon involves riding stationary bikes and getting pledges for the amount of time spent riding.

They will also participate in the Walk4Hearing sponsored by the Hearing Loss Association on Sunday at Marina Green Park between Shoreline Village Drive and Linden Avenue in Long Beach. Check-in time is 9 a.m. with the 5K (3.1 miles) walk starting at 10 a.m.

If you go, look for a blond, curly-haired youngster walking with his proud parents. Call his name, Noah. He will hear you and give you a high five. Ask him about his whippet, Bella.